How To Mix Up Your Fitness Routine To Avoid Boredom

I don’t enjoy it. I got bored. I was sick of doing the same thing. Phrases you often hear when talking about fitness… I feel like a lot of people will just try to do whatever is popular, or seems to be the ‘best’ and it means they don’t enjoy the workout, they get de-motivated and just generally don’t want to try again. Here’s some ideas to change your routine up when needed!

Try A Class

I know this is quite a generic answer or tip, but honestly, if you’re stuck in a rut and don’t know what to do a class is perfect. There are generally a lot of different classes at a gym to choose from and you will always find something that feels more ‘you’. Pilates, Zumba, Spinning/RPM, Bodypump, Boxfit, Circuits, Yoga and many more.

No membership? Don’t worry about that, as in most places you can just pay on the door. One thing to watch out for though are classes that fill up super quickly. I would always recommend booking in advance for any class if the option is there. I try to do a yoga class each week and it’s a nice change from the heavier stuff throughout the week.

Find Your Cardio

I always hear people saying oh I hate cardio, I hate running. Well you know what? Cardio exercise can come from many things. You don’t have to run. Cycle. Go to a dance class. Try rowing. Maybe even try swimming? Like running but get bored of going on the dreadmill? Get outside. Run on trails. Join a park run.

Unless you absolutely love the exercise, it can get boring doing the same thing week in week out. I would never advise to do lots and lots of cardio every time you go to the gym, but it is a vital part of working out and improving your cardiovascular system will obviously help you to get fitter. Cardio can be fun if you just find the cardio you enjoy.

Change it up

Workout regimes get boring when you’re doing the same thing day in day out. I remember doing the 30 Day Shred whilst I was in college. It was a great workout, and I did see results in the time I was doing it, but by the middle of level two I was just bored of doing the same thing over and over. Needless to say, I never managed to get through it fully and finish level three!

You also need to make sure you’re hitting all muscle groups throughout the week. You may do a few full body routines. You may do upper body one day, lower body the next. You may even split it further and do something like back and biceps, chest and triceps, shoulders and legs etc. My current routine (found on Bodybuilding.com) is three full body workouts per week, two cardio days, one bonus HIIT/circuit workout and a rest day. The full body workouts are different each day and make sure to include a variety of different exercises that mean each muscle group is targeted throughout the week, and each day will slightly change throughout each consecutive week.

Whatever it is, doing different exercises that still hit the same muscles stops the routine from getting boring – and it works.

Add Circuits

If you’re short on time or can’t make it to a gym, circuits are great. You don’t need equipment, and can easily use every day things to add a bit of weight if needed. Choose a few different exercises and then you can repeat this circuit over and over as much as you want to train. Like my current one is 3 moves each with between 10-20 reps as a circuit. I then repeat this circuit 6 times, using a timer to see how long it takes me. You can then do the same in a weeks time, and see if you can improve!

I would actually recommend Kayla Itsine’s BBG guide if you want set circuits to do. It has mostly bodyweight exercises and you can get really great results from it. You can also incorporate HIIT into circuits, doing quick and intense bursts of exercise with short breaks in between. Honestly, the options with circuit routines are endless.